


Welcome to my Mind Palace

by guineamania



Series: Birdbrain [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Beware plot approaching, Family Fluff, M/M, Misuse of Mind Magic, broody harry, sulking harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 05:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18440105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineamania/pseuds/guineamania
Summary: The twins have nowhere to go. And Harry will not stand by and let children go without a home … especially if those children have powers they don't know what to do with





	Welcome to my Mind Palace

Harry always wanted a big family. Growing up the way he did, Harry was bemused and curious about the pure size and love in the Weasley family but as he got to know them more it was clear that was what he wanted in his life. Being gay and marrying Clint was never going to stop that; if anything it made him more broody looking at all the children who had been rescued from homes like his and were just looking for a family. Having just moved to the states, neither Harry or Clint were in the right place to foster a child so Harry was throwing all of his attention at Teddy, Rose, and Hugo. As soon as Clint saw Wanda and Pietro, the Avenger knew Harry was not going to let those two escape his attention. For Harry this revelation hit as he worked with Wanda to defeat Ultron. Here were two teenagers who had nowhere to go, one was magical, and both had experienced not ideal home life. Perfect candidates for the Barton family. Once Pietro had been released from the medical bay, all the Avengers and Harry had been called to a team meeting to discuss what to do with the teens. Harry had been hiding in the Barton suite of rooms recovering from his own magical outpouring for as long at Pietro had been healing and using that as an excuse to avoid the questioning of the Avengers. The Ministry had okayed Harry’s involvement in the Sokovia disaster as extenuating circumstances; this was primarily because he concealed his identity and his involvement had been contained within the media as a mutant not a member of the magical community. MACUSA was another matter entirely and Harry had another meeting with them where he hoped they would authorise his involvement as a member of the Avengers, and importantly not arresting him would be nice. Clint had been fielding questions and the Avengers had at least backed off knowing that Harry legally could not say anything yet.

 

“Morning fellas,” Harry smiled as he emerged from the lift still wrapped in his oversized hoodie and tracksuit bottoms. It had only been five days since his power drain and Harry was still feeling a little tender. His magic was back but any expulsion of power left him weary and tired. Clint had already confiscated his wand until he was thoroughly healed and booked him the next week off work. At least Natasha had said Harry didn’t look like a corpse anymore the day before so something must be getting back to normal.

“Morning Gandalf,” Tony quipped as he nursed a cup of coffee at the breakfast bar. Wanda and Pietro were wrapped around each other on the settee with Pietro staring daggers at anyone who dared come close to them. Wanda spotted Harry and gave him a little smile which Harry replied with a smile and a wink in her direction before helping himself to the coffee. Thor was gone in the hunt for the infinity stones, Bruce had disappeared, but everyone else had decided to stick around the tower for all the recovery and debriefs that were required. Natasha and Steve were the last two to filter in and start the meeting.

“The main reason why this meeting was called is to discuss to Maximoffs,” Steve announced looking round the assembled superheroes.

“We can deal with ourselves,” Pietro hissed, almost a snarl. The Avengers all avoided looking at the two children on the settee.

“We cannot allow you two to leave unsupervised, because you are underage and powered. And we want you to join,” Natasha explained, that shocked the twins.

“You want us, to be Avengers?” Wanda questioned, Harry could see she was restraining herself from dipping into their minds to test their sincerity.

“You both proved yourselves in the battle against Ultron and with some training we all agree you would be great additions,” Clint smiled at the duo, he had confessed to Harry his involvement in motivating Wanda when they were discussing what to do next.

“If you agree then I was thinking you could stay here. There is usually someone around and I would build you your own spaces,” Tony began rambling but was quickly cut off.

“Actually Tony, me and Clint have been talking and we would like to invite Wanda and Pietro to live with us,” Harry chirped in, silence fell over the room and the twins continued to look stunned.

“Harry wants to work with Wanda on her powers and we’ve got the room,” Clint continued the discussion and nobody could come up with a reason why that wasn’t a good idea.

“It’s up to both of you, which option you would prefer,” Steve mediated the meeting and the Maximoffs just stared at the Barton’s. Harry knew they would doubt his intentions and had a plan.

 

Harry managed to catch Wanda’s eye as the Avengers murmured amongst themselves and tapped the side of his head with a smirk. Harry quickly built a door in his mental defences and left it cracked open. Maintaining eye contact, Wanda frowned but Harry could feel her power inching the door open. Harry’s occlumency had massively improved since his Hogwarts days with everything in there categorised and protected. The reception area of sorts was a lounge like the living room of the Barton townhouse. Wanda’s red glimmering energy hesitantly found form and eyed where Harry was sat in a plush arm chair. “Welcome to my mind palace. I know you must have many questions and there is nowhere more private than my mind to discuss it. Just think whatever you want to say and it will come out here,” Harry smiled, gesturing to the chair the other side of the fire.

“How do you make this?” Wanda’s awe was evident on her face.

“It is a skill my people call occlumency. It allows you to protect your mind from intrusions in its basic form, but I mastered it to be able to control what people see when I do allow them into my mind and to categorise emotions and memories. It is one of the skills I want to teach you. Having a well-protected and calm mind would help you control your skills,” Harry explained, smiling at Wanda’s willingness to learn and take a seat next to him.

“You really will teach me, teach us?” The quest for knowledge was strong and Harry liked that, she reminded him of a young Hermione, faced with a new unknown world and just wanted to learn.

“Your power is remarkable and honestly I want to work with you to see how similar our powers are. And Pietro is raw and untamed, I want you two to be the best people you can. And also to have people and a place to call home. Clint told me what he knew about your past and I know pleasantries are not going to help. I promised myself that I would never allow someone I know to be in pain like that. No matter what you decide I will not leave you,” Harry reassured her, his hand trembling against his leg with the exertion of keeping his mental safe haven open but keeping out the scenes that fuelled his night terrors.

“If we live in your house, would you be like our parents,” the more vulnerable side of the warrior was shining through.

“Only if you want. I’ve always wanted a brood of kids, I won’t lie to you, but if you and Pietro just want somewhere to lay your heads then I want our house to be that for you,” Wanda finally let a smile onto her face.

“I talk with Pietro about your offer of a home,” she nodded firmly and left in a poof of red smoke. Harry retreated out of his mind, disappearing the door as he went.

 

“Oi, Barton. You still with us,” Tony was waving his hand in front of Harry’s face when the wizard came to with a dazed blinking. Everyone except Clint, Wanda and Pietro was staring at him with a mix of concern and confusion.

“Yeah, what I miss. Just having a chat,” he grinned, once again deflecting the conversation with a blunt line of truth. Tony was shushed before he could have try to ask about the magic.

“We were discussing where we wanted to get dinner. I voted for pizza for you,” Clint pecked Harry on the cheek.

“And pizza won,” Rhodey huffed. Harry laughed along with the others but pushed that conversation to the back of his attention. Wanda and Pietro were whispering and occasionally looking over to Harry and Clint. They had to make the decision on their own, Harry knew that but it didn’t stop him wondering how Teddy would react when he next came over to visit. Pietro and Teddy would get on, both of the boys having unlimited energy would lead to rowdy games that Clint would of course encourage. Harry was already thinking about the two teenage twins as his kids. Natasha ordered the pizza and Avengers returned to their conversations. “How did your hearing go?” Clint murmured as Harry laid against his chest.

“As expected Kingsley has my back. Says it was in protection of the earth and it would be helpful to read the Avengers in as they are a group of powered people too,” Harry explained, his eyes drifting closed as Clint massaged Harry’s tight shoulders softly. “MACUSA will be more difficult as my reputation didn’t travel,” Harry shrugged but he couldn’t complain too much, the lack of reputation he had here was a plus side.

“Kingsley and Hermione will get it done,” Clint chuckled softly. Clint had met all of Harry’s friends from the war and Kingsley was one of the ones he admired the most.

 

“We want to live with Harry,” Pietro blurted out approximately ten minutes later and Harry’s face broke out into a grin.

“And Clint,” Wanda added but Harry was already on his feet and heading over to the pair.

“I’m so happy with your decision. We’ll take you back there now and you can get all settled in. I’ll have to freshen up the rooms but,” Harry rambled while patting down his pockets. Clint pulled the wizard’s wand from where it had been stored inside his jacket.

“How about we do this the traditional way to stop you inadvertently killing yourself?” Clint rolled his eyes, stashing the wand away again as Harry’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll stay here tonight with pizza and then tomorrow we will take Wanda and Pietro to the house and let them decorate,” Clint reasoned with Harry and despite the frown on his face Harry did nod the affirmative but still huddled on the settee with Wanda and Pietro next to him.

“Also you are not allowed to flee until you have explained all that stuff with Ultron!” Sam shouted from where he was perusing the tower’s alcohol supply.

“Bit busy trying not to be arrested or deported for the ‘stuff with Ultron’,” Harry replied light-heartedly. However, no one apart from Clint and Natasha had managed to get to grips with Harry’s graveyard humour yet. Harry explained it as he was tired of hiding and having to put up a brave front; if people were going to ask questions he was going to give them an honest answer unless it was breaking the law to do so. If people couldn’t deal with that and his jokes about narrowly avoiding death then it was on them not him. The silence was broken by JARVIS announcing the pizza’s arrival and everyone diving in.

 

The next day Harry had been given his wand back as long as he restrained himself and any thing that could easily be done manually was done so. That meant no apparition. What it did mean was that Wanda and Pietro were getting their first New York experience in the back of a yellow cab. Clint had shot-gunned the front before the Sokovians and Brit even thought about the American custom meaning Harry was on one side, Wanda was squeezed in the middle and Pietro on the other side. Clint was chattering away about all the sights they were seeing. Harry could feel the tension in the car building as they neared the townhouse. Clint had been over the night before with Hermione to get a few things ready. The house was big enough that they had two guest rooms as well as Teddy’s bedroom. Wanda and Pietro wanted to stay in the same room and so one of the things Hermione put into motion was to paint the room a soft blue and add an ensuite to help the teens with their independence and adapting to living with other people. Clint had already ordered new furniture but for the time being they had dragged the spare bed into the room and transfigured the sofa into another bed. Clothes were another issue but Harry had a secret weapon.

 

As soon as they pulled up outside the townhouse, Hermione had wrenched the door open and was practically bouncing on the front step as the four of them got out of the car. While she was working on Harry’s legal battle, Hermione was staying in Teddy’s room to make sure she was on hand for the discussions with MACUSA. She was also helping sure up the wards on the farmhouse now that more people than they would like knew about the location. “Hi guys!” she beamed, wrapping Harry up in a hug as she looked him up and down. When he had returned back from the battle, Harry hadn’t wanted Hermione to have to deal with the curiosity of the Avengers and so she had not seen him since he apparated away from the farmhouse. Seemingly satisfied with how he looked, Hermione moved on to wrap Clint in a hug and then focused on the Maximoffs. “I’m Hermione, Harry’s best friend and I’m a witch too,” she offered her hand to Pietro and then Wanda to shake who both did so hesitantly. “Because Harry’s magically exhausted right now and should be resting,” Hermione stared pointedly at Harry and he flashed back to being 12 and being scolded by the frizzy haired witch. “I’m going to be helping get your rooms ready and going shopping!” Hermione was way more excited about this than the twins. But when they got into the luxury apartment, the mutants couldn’t stop themselves gawping at everything they saw. When Wanda stepped into the lounge, she immediately recognised the room as the room in Harry’s mind and felt the same kind of comfort she had felt there. This place was going to be their home.

 

Harry was curled up in his favourite chair, watching tv and trying not to fall asleep as he waited for Clint, Hermione, and the twins to get back from shopping. Clint had seen him start to fade and the exhaustion take over when the tour had finished. This meant he had officially been benched from the shopping effort and left in the house on his own. Daytime television could only do so much to occupy his active mind. So Harry decided to retreat into his mind to try and repair some of his strength the quicker way. Being defenceless in this way was not an option. Something was stirring in the known realms, Thor had mentioned a similar feeling, and Harry didn’t like it. The fates had bestowed this burden on him and so far he had not been forced to defend himself, but something was coming. Training Wanda and Pietro was now an imperative and the Avengers needed to know about magic. With the stone residing around his neck, Harry was never going to be able to fully retire from the saving the world business. Now he needed to step back into it. When everyone returned, Harry was already feeling better; the wait of his decision had lifted off his shoulders and the Elder Wand was calling to him from Clint’s pocket. The wand had always been creepily in tune with his thoughts and the power calling to him was clear that the wand had been waiting for him to come to that realisation on his own. He had things to be putting into action.

 

Clint had not been able to sense the piece of wood in his pocket wanted out, and so denied Harry’s claims that he was fine now. Hermione had been able to rush up the MACUSA hearing to the next day so at least something was happening. Harry sulked as he sat back in his chair while Wanda and Pietro unpacked the days shopping. He could wordlessly summon the wand but didn’t want to risk it so soon after repairing his core. So, the greatest wizard of his age, the man who conquered was still benched. “Harry?” Wanda questioned hesitantly as he poked her head round the door. Harry blinked slowly and turned to look at her. His face brightened exponentially from when he was glaring daggers at the wall.

“Hey Wanda, come in. What’s up?” Wanda slowly walked in and curled up on the chair facing Harry.

“I just wanted to say thank you. For believing in us, for letting us stay and learn,” she explained but Harry could sense there was something more.

“You can talk to me, I hear I’m a good listener,” Harry smiled, internally chuckling at his own joke.

“It wasn’t Ultron that experimented on us, it was an organisation called HYDRA and I don’t want to go back,” she blurted out and Harry’s body softened.

“Wanda, they will have to get through me to get to you. I swear you don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to,” Harry stood tenderly and squatted in front of her. “I am not as easy to get rid off as you think,” he smiled, and received a tentative smile in return.

“I want to train. And so does Pietro, we want to help fight,” she nodded with a fierce determination that reminded Harry of himself before the war showed him the error of his ways. However these two were just as involved as he was then. There is no running, so you learn to fight.

“We will, I promise,” Harry sighed, with a painful twist of his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Plot approaching, i'm sorry guys!   
> But if you have any ideas of what you would like to see, where it should go then please comment. I love hearing from all you guys


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